Beonjijeompeureul hada

At a time when most South Korean films are full of violence, the making of 'Bungee Jumping of Their Own' comes like a breath of fresh air. It is a different kind of South Korean film which advocates the notion of love at first sight. This idea is reinforced when both protagonists declare that their undying love for each other is entirely due to have experienced love through 'love at first sight'. In this film, director Kim Dae Sung has used all his imagination to ensure that 'Bungee Jumping of Their Own' transforms itself into something more than merely an ordinary romantic film. . The film also makes good use of its reincarnation angle and a discussion about sexuality without being too overt. For this reason, love is celebrated in all its forms. One gets to watch how two lovers watch their love grow over a period of time. Actors Byung-Hun Lee and Eun- Ju Lee reveal their acting prowess at different times as the film depicts two different time periods. Lastly, this film is recommended for those viewers who would like to explore the world of romantic films which has been hitherto dominated by Hollywood films.

Shy Korean boy meets pretty Korean girl when they share an umbrella in the rain. They finally get together only to have the boy leaving for military service. She's on her way to see him off when she's killed by a bus.

Skip ahead a few years and the boy is now a man teaching in a high school. He becomes convinced that his love has been reincarnated into the body of a 17 year old boy that is his student. What are they to do?

A hot chick meets a cute guy at a bus stop, and they fall in love just like that. 17 years later, the cute guy is a teacher. Gradually, we learn more about what happened 17 years ago (thanks to some flashbacks), as events take a surprising turn in the present.

"Bungee Jumping Of Their Own" has to be one of the strangest movie titles of all time, and doesn't make the slightest bit of sense until the very end of the film. Extreme sports fans, I'm sorry to report than Bungee Jumping is *not* a major part of the film. Also, despite the sappy dvd cover that put me off watching the film for ages, it's not some kind of girly love story either. Yes, it is a love story, but a strange and interesting one.

It's not often I stoop to watch a drama, especially a love story, but I'll generally make an exception for Korean films as they are so often very well done, with an intelligence and depth that you are unlikely to find in Hollywood or Hong Kong for instance. Bungee is no MY SASSY GIRL, but it's a fine piece of film-making. The production values are excellent - beautiful cinematography and soundtrack and well written script, but the big stand-out is the quality of the acting. I don't think I recognised any of the actors, but they all gave superb performances full of depth and emotion.

I'm in a phase at the moment where I'm kind of bored of cinema - seen so many movies they all kind of blur together and few films leave lasting impressions. Bungee Jumping Of Their Own stands out because of the unexpected places it goes, the intelligence and the technical virtues, and will certainly stick in my mind for a while. I'd expected to put it up for trade once I'd seen it, but it's definitely a keeper

Strongly recommended.

Director Kim Dae-seung's debut feature, "Bungee Jumping of Their Own" (2001), screenplay by Ko Eun-nim, is not just another teen romance story - it's THE love story defined. If you think "Romeo and Juliet" is the all-time greatest of love stories, wait till you finished watching this film. True love knows no bounds, irrespective of what others may perceive or say.

For viewing appreciation, it's best not to read/know much about the film and simply let the story develop and unfold before your eyes. Have patience with the pair of young love getting upset and making up, apart and together. Those rainy scenes of walking, drenching, standing, with or without umbrella, are heartbreaking, cold and warm all at once. In-woo (the young man who became the teacher years later - central role) and Tae-hee (the young lady he helplessly loves) are clearly inseparable lovebirds. Director Kim presented the situations in the most natural way. Little details are revealed as the story progresses, and as we see In-woo teaching a class of high school boys, cut to at home he's talking to a little girl - so he's married with a daughter. Is it Tae-hee? Gradually, more periodic flashes of memory occur, and little observations like student Hyun-bin's drinking with little finger up, or asking a familiar question déjà vu.

The imaginative, thinking out of a box, approach in presenting the crux of the story is a bold directorial decision. Reincarnation has been done before, but this is "Heaven Can Wait" from a different perspective, and why not. You might say it's 'heaven can't wait'. A latter flashback key point reminds me of Spanish writer-director Julio Medem's (1998) "The Lovers of the Arctic Circle" - a film which is also about two inseparable lovers. The 'love only one person' theme (and a teacher role with wife and children) was tackled in the Hong Kong director Ann Hui's (2002) "July Rhapsody" (aka: Laam yan sei sap). I can't help but also think of Argentinean writer-director Eliseo Subiela's (1995) "Don't Die Without Telling Me Where You're Going," which has Subiela's trademark philosophical tones and exchanges besides fascinating storytelling.

The acting is sensitive and convincing; the cinematography is skillful and impressive (the beginning aerial sequence gives one a breezy feel); and the music has a calmness to it; also editing and sound (like the brief playing of "When I fall in love" just loud enough crooning in the background) - all fittingly complemented the script. It is refreshing to believe what happened or could happen to the central characters (three, essentially two) in "Bungee Jumping of Their Own." Is it possible? Seems logical. Why ever not?

I saw this film on a Region 3 DVD in Korean with English and Chinese subtitles options. (An All Region DVD player is a worthy 'investment' for 'serious' DVD film viewing.)

This film is about a young man falling in love with a girl he meets on the street. She then disappeared without a trace. 17 years later, he is convinced that his girl reincarnated as his male student.

I did not know a thing about the film before I watched it, and I was completely blown away. The plot is amazingly well written. It is a very well told love story. The past and present are intertwined, and the past is revealed only when it is relevant to the present. The relationship between the young couple is well built, setting a great scene for subsequent developments.

The second part of the film portrays a forbidden relationship. They face a lot of self doubt and pressure from others. It exemplifies how hard it is to live an alternative life. And to think In-woo is doing so because he "knows" Hyeon-bin is special makes me wonder what price people would pay to love, and to honour previous promises. The little signs that In-woo uses to make up his conclusion is well planned and well placed throughout the film. I was amazed by it, as every scene shows its significance later on in the film.

Hyeon-bin and In-woo's relationship is a double taboo, and I congratulate the filmmakers for having the courage and determination to make this film. "Bungee Jumping of Their Own" is captivating and touching. It is like no other film. and I certainly recommend it.